Rein(ing) Youth On Chicago’s West Side

As a dedicated sports fan, I’ve seen my favorite teams rebuild more than once. This summer kicked off with one of my favorite players, Alex Caruso, being traded to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey. Shortly after, the Bulls drafted local talent, forward Matas Buzelis. They’re still eyeing more moves as the summer progresses. In today’s article, we’ll explore moves the Bulls’ are hoping to make and Buzelis’ performance in the Summer League.

When fans hear “rebuild,” they often sigh. There are many types, but the most effective lately has been the competitive rebuild, sometimes starting as a youth movement to refresh the roster. I believe Artūras Karnišovas might have initiated the current youth movement a bit late—possibly by a whole year. As a result, he is now working with Marc Eversley to make further “corrective actions” in order to keep the team competitive next season since it is pretty obvious that Lonzo Ball may never make it to the court again and the roster at the end of the season was built around him, Caruso, and Zach LaVine among others.

Right after the draft, the Bulls’ management prioritized getting something in a sign-and-trade deal for DeMar DeRozan. They succeeded by shedding payroll and continuing their youth movement, acquiring Chris Duarte from the Kings. Recently, rumors from SI.com and Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times suggest a high chance of Zach LaVine being traded, possibly closer to or even into the season. The Los Angeles Clippers seem to be the likely trade partner.

There have also been rumors for over two weeks that the Bulls are listening to trade offers for Coby White. This makes little sense if they still plan to move LaVine, who, despite his injury history, likely has a few solid years left and is under contract until at least 2026-27. With the possibility of Lonzo Ball returning for the 2024-2025 season, it seems inevitable the Bulls will move on from him after his contract ends.

Now, let’s take a look at the first three summer league games and how Buzelis played, starting with a few stats:

Minutes Played – FG% – Steals – Assists – Rebounds

29:25 – 26.7% – 0 – 4 – 7 (vs. Milwaukee Bucks)
33:45 – 45.5% – 2 – 0 – 8 (vs. Golden State)
31:41 – 38.9% – 2 – 0 – 3 (vs. Detroit)

While this is a very small sample size the early results we are seeing from him in summer league are looking like they could bode well in conjunction with Coby White who grew significantly last season and appears to be the one the Bulls’ are trying to build around. The Buzelis story line will definitely be one to watch in Summer League games and once training camp comes in October. If he is able to keep on the pace he has over these three games with an average field goal percentage of 37.7% while averaging six rebounds per game he’d definitely look good in the starting lineup on a nightly basis next season.

Here’s the thing folks: While Karnišovas and Eversley are clearly rebuilding through this youth movement and will eventually find a taker for LaVine it is clear to me that they are attempting to complete their second “competitive rebuild” since coming to Chicago a few years ago. The question that remains is whether or not they will succeed this time and if they will have money available in the budget to sign a couple solid veterans to round out the roster and help the team be truly competitive on the court. Only time will tell.

With that… it’s Buzelis time on the West Side!

If you cannot play with them, then root for them.